The International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) was launched in 1978, and obtained its first ultraviolet spectrum of an astronomical object on January 26, 1978. Although its last scientific spectrum was obtained on September 30, 1996, it remains in orbit today. IUE obtained more than 104,000 observations and gave astronomers the first accurate information about the ultraviolet properties of planets, stars, and galaxies—data that is still being used today to help interpret more current observations.